Delhi HC quashes Covid drugs case against Gautam Gambhir

In a significant judicial development, the Delhi High Court on Friday quashed a criminal case against former Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir, his foundation, and family members concerning the alleged illegal stocking and distribution of COVID-19 drugs during the pandemic.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, delivering the order, tersely declared, “Criminal complaint quashed,” bringing an end to months of legal proceedings that had drawn widespread public attention.

The case had originated from a complaint filed by the Delhi government’s Drug Control Department against Gambhir — then serving as the Member of Parliament from East Delhi — his foundation, the foundation’s CEO Aprajita Singh, and Gambhir’s wife and mother, Seema and Natasha Gambhir, who were trustees of the foundation. The complaint alleged violations under Section 18(c) and Section 27(b)(ii) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which prohibit the manufacture, sale, and distribution of drugs without a valid licence and prescribe imprisonment of three to five years with fines for contraventions.

The legal journey of the case was marked by a series of twists. On 20 September 2021, the Delhi High Court had stayed proceedings initiated by the trial court, seeking responses from the Drug Control Department on petitions filed by Gambhir, his family, and the foundation challenging the summons and the criminal complaint. Subsequent developments saw the high court vacate the stay on 9 April 2025, prompting Gambhir to file a fresh plea seeking recall of the order.

During the proceedings, the Drug Control Department had argued against the maintainability of the plea, contending that Gambhir had directly approached the high court without first appealing to the revisional court of sessions. Prosecution counsel further highlighted that while the petitioners had distributed the drugs without a valid licence, their only defence rested on the claim that they had not sold the medications.

With Friday’s pronouncement, the high court has effectively exonerated Gambhir, his family, and the foundation from the shadow of criminal liability, bringing closure to a case that had cast a spotlight on the challenges and legal intricacies surrounding the distribution of COVID-19 related medicines.

The decision is expected to relieve the former cricketer and his family from lingering legal pressures, allowing them to focus once again on their public and philanthropic engagements, free from the scrutiny of this particular litigation.

With PTI inputs